Brockman moves to J Street

As executive director of Hillel in Broward and Palm Beach, Scott Brockman was caught up in the controversy involving Students for Justice in Palestine at Florida Atlantic University and the South Florida Jewish community. Now Brockman is in another controversial job as J Street's new southern regional director.

In the job for a little more than one month, Brockman is trying to organize South Florida Jews on a grass-roots level to support J Street. The Washington, D.C.-based "pro-Israel, pro-peace" organization lobbies Congress and supports a two-state solution in the Middle East.

"I'm talking to people on a one-to-one basis," said Brockman, who wants to "open the doors" to meet with the South Florida Jewish community's leaders and rabbis.

Brockman, 46, of Boca Raton said he had some doubts about taking the job until he examined his feelings about Israel and the need for a peaceful end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"I used to take students to where [Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak] Rabin was slain," Brockman said during an interview at his office. "There was one piece of graffiti: 'Slicha — forgive me,'" he said. "People felt they didn't do enough for peace. They didn't fight for peace like you fight for a war." He added, "I care very deeply about Israel. I care very deeply about the pursuit of peace."

Brockman said the J Street job presented an opportunity to expand the discussion about Israel in the South Florida Jewish community.

"A lot of people in South Florida have the wrong idea about J Street," he said. "They have this idea that we're aiding and abetting Israel's enemies. J Street is such a loaded organization for some people but we have to talk about Israel in a deep and meaningful way as a community."

Brockman said he has an obligation to speak and to do everything he can to create a "strong and vibrant" Israel — to secure the country's borders, strengthen its democracy and maintain the state's Jewish character. For those reasons, he supports a two-state solution, Brockman said. "It is the only viable solution."

The South Florida Jewish community is "really behind the rest of the country when it comes to a deep conversation about Israel," he said. "We can all sit together and talk about difficult things and where we disagree."

Young Jews, in their 20s and 30s, are "no different than the rest of the community at this point," Brockman added.

Jeremy Ben-Ami, J Street president and founder, said he respectfully disagrees.

The Pew Research Center's "Portrait of Jewish Americans" identified a strong generational difference in the way American Jews relate to Israel, Ben-Ami said. The older segment of the South Florida Jewish community — people over the age of 65 — has more conservative views, he said. Younger people are "open to a substantive discussion."

Consequently, in South Florida there is a "fairly good base of younger folks who are open to the J Street message."

Ben-Ami said Brockman was selected to represent J Street in the southern United States, and in the important South Florida area, because he has "encountered issues related to Israel and how they play out in the Jewish community." Brockman feels a personal connection to Israel and a "deep personal hope that we can help to build a secure and democratic and peaceful future for Israel."

Natalie Pelavin of Boca Raton, said, "People don't really understand what it is that J Street and [Brockman] are speaking for. Israel needs a broader spectrum of people who can sing its virtues."

J Street is rolling out its "2 Campaign" to rally the American Jewish community behind the Obama administration and Secretary of State John Kerry's initiative for a two-state solution. To learn more about J Street's program of education and events, visit 2campaign.org.